A Google Family Link alternative made for iPhone and iPad
SteadyBounds is a parental control app for iPhone and iPad where kids earn extra screen time through learning lessons and chores their parents approve.
Google says Family Link can’t supervise a child’s iPhone or iPad. SteadyBounds is made for exactly that, so your rules work on the device your child really uses.
1. Made for your child’s iPhone
Family Link is made for children who use an Android phone or a Chromebook. Parents can use the Family Link app on their own iPhone. But Google’s help page says: “iPhones, iPads, and computers other than Chromebooks can’t be supervised with Family Link.”
Google lists the settings that won’t work when a child is signed in on an iPhone or iPad: screen time limits, device location, app activity, blocking apps and app permissions, and Chrome website rules.
SteadyBounds is built for that iPhone or iPad. It uses Apple’s Screen Time, so your rules stay on even when the app is closed. Your child needs their own Apple Account in your Family Sharing group, on iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or later. No computer, profile or VPN is needed.
2. What parents say about Google Family Link
Family Link has a lot of reviews on the App Store, good and bad. Some parents report the same few problems. Here are four, in their own words, with how SteadyBounds handles each one. Some of these parents manage Android devices, which Family Link is made for.
Limited on a child’s iPhone
“After hours finally getting hooked up apparently this is limited on iPhone and useless for what we needed.”
How SteadyBounds handles it: SteadyBounds is made for your child’s iPhone and iPad. Daily limits, bedtimes, and app and website rules run through Apple’s Screen Time on the device your child uses, and they stay on even when SteadyBounds is closed. Location sharing is free and optional.
Limits that don’t hold
“Even though both the tablet and the app on my phone say there’s a 2 hour limit, my child is able to use the device all day.”
How SteadyBounds handles it: Your limits are kept by Apple’s Screen Time on your child’s iPhone or iPad, so they stay on even when SteadyBounds is closed. When you change a rule, you see “Applied” only after your child’s device confirms it. If SteadyBounds notices that protection on a device has stopped working, your parent app shows that the device needs attention. It can’t catch every problem, so check your child’s device from time to time.
Extra time nobody gave
“once the limit it’s up it gives more bonus time automatically”
How SteadyBounds handles it: Only a parent can add time. The SteadyBounds lock screen has no “One More Minute” or “Ignore Limit” button. Extra time comes from a request you approve, time you add, or minutes your child earns from lessons and chores, up to a daily cap you choose. Every chore reward waits for your OK, and extra time never moves bedtime.
Requests that don’t come through
“App notifications from the child aren't coming through.”
How SteadyBounds handles it: Your child asks for more time inside SteadyBounds, even when their apps are locked. No iMessage is needed. You get an alert on your phone, and the request waits in your parent app until you answer. Both parents can approve.
3. What you get only with SteadyBounds
These are things SteadyBounds does that Google’s own pages say Family Link doesn’t do on a child’s iPhone, or that aren’t part of Family Link’s features.
| Feature | SteadyBounds | Google Family Link |
|---|---|---|
| Daily screen time limits on a child’s iPhone or iPad | Yes, free | No. Google says screen time limits don’t work there |
| Block apps on a child’s iPhone or iPad | Yes, free | No. Google says blocking apps doesn’t work there |
| Website rules on a child’s iPhone or iPad | Yes, free, with Apple’s built-in web filter | No. Google says Chrome website rules don’t work there |
| Location sharing from a child’s iPhone or iPad | Yes, free and optional (the latest reported location) | No. Google says device location doesn’t work there |
| Kids earn extra time with learning lessons | Yes. Starter lessons, the daily challenge and Fresh Math are free | Not part of Family Link’s features |
| Chores that earn time, approved by you | Yes, free | Not part of Family Link’s features |
| Time Bank: save earned minutes for another day | Yes, free | Not part of Family Link’s features |
The Family Link column comes from Google’s help pages and its Family Link overview, checked October 19, 2026.
4. Price
Every Screen Time control in SteadyBounds is free: limits, bedtimes, school hours, breaks, app and website rules, pausing apps, time requests, extra time, Time Bank and reports. Starter lessons, the daily challenge, Fresh Math and one-off chores are free too. There are no per-child or per-device fees.
Premium is optional: $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial on the yearly plan for eligible new subscribers. It adds the full lesson library, Learn first, family chat and groups, chore routines, bedtime activity alerts, places and arrival alerts, widgets, animated scenes and learning progress reports. If Premium ends, your Screen Time controls keep working.
Google Family Link is listed as free on the App Store. SteadyBounds is sold on the U.S. App Store.
5. Get started free
Setup takes a few short steps. Install SteadyBounds on your iPhone and on your child’s iPhone or iPad, connect them with a code, and approve Apple’s Screen Time permission. Your Screen Time controls are free from day one.
Get SteadyBounds on the App Store
Comparing other apps too? See all our comparisons, or read Support for setup help.
6. Questions parents ask
Does Google Family Link work on a child’s iPhone?
Only partly. Parents can use the Family Link app on their own iPhone. But Google says a child’s iPhone or iPad can’t be supervised with Family Link, so screen time limits, device location, app blocking and Chrome website rules don’t work there. SteadyBounds is made for a child’s iPhone and iPad. It gives you daily limits, app and website rules and optional location sharing on the device your child uses.
What does SteadyBounds have that Family Link doesn’t?
On a child’s iPhone or iPad, SteadyBounds gives you working screen time limits, app and website rules and optional location sharing. Kids can also earn extra time with short learning lessons and chores you approve, and save earned minutes in a Time Bank. We didn’t find learning or chores that earn time in Google’s Family Link features.
Is SteadyBounds free like Family Link?
Yes, for every Screen Time control: limits, bedtimes, app and website rules, requests, extra time, Time Bank and reports, for every child and device. Premium is optional and costs $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year. It adds extras like the full lesson library, family chat, widgets and arrival alerts.
7. Sources
What we say about Google Family Link comes from Google’s own help pages and website and from its App Store listing and reviews. If something has changed, please tell us at hello@steadybounds.com and we will fix it.
- Google Family Link Help, “Get started with Family Link” (which devices can be supervised)
- Google Family Link Help, “Sign your child in on their iPhone or iPad” (settings that won’t work there)
- Google Families, Family Link FAQ (partial supervision on iOS)
- Google Families, Family Link overview (feature list)
- Google Family Link on the U.S. App Store (price)
- Google Family Link reviews on the U.S. App Store (the parent quotes above)
Quotes are short excerpts from public App Store reviews, shown as written. Reviewer names are left out. Google and Google Family Link are trademarks of Google LLC. SteadyBounds is not made by, connected to or endorsed by Google.